The "Modesty War"

B"H

A new / old "modesty war" has been breaking out in Jerusalem for quite a while. It seems that almost every chassidic group wants to be better than the other one, and especially extreme groups (the members of the anti - Zionist umbrella organization Edah HaCharedit and in particular the Toldot Aharon) have been hanging up Fakshivilim (news poster) demanding more modesty. Men and women should not meet or get together in public, as this is against the modesty laws.

For quite some time I am getting more and more upset about the sometimes exaggerated interpretations of the Halacha. Some Chassidim keep on sticking to their own perfection so much that they do not even brush their teeth on Shabbat.
The reason is that this may cause a bleeding of the flesh.

According to Halacha, it is forbidden to put cream on one's hands on Shabbat. I admit that until approx. two weeks ago, I didn't know about this Issur. Someone told me but at the same time explained a special way how I could still put on the cream.

During the winter, I suffer from dry skin and need cream on my hands. And to be honest, I don't intend waiting until Shabbat is over in order to put on some cream. When I hear about such laws or see people even going beyond the regular laws, I am asking myself what our forefathers and foremothers would have said. Not that I consider any Halachic issues as completely unnecessary but sometimes it just seems so exaggerated and simply overdone. I don't think that G - d intended to make our life so complicated.

And now we are also facing another "modesty war" which isn't really about modesty but mostly about some rabbis who want to show that they are the best and the strongest. "I am better than you", this is how many leading rabbis seem to think.

In the haredi part of Beit Shemesh as well as in Bnei Brak, some Haredim demanded separated sidewalks. Men on one side of the road and the women on the other side. No exceptions for married couples !
Generally, the majority of the Israeli haredi population doesn't agree with all those demands. They read the Fakshivilim but have their own opinion. To many Haredim this sounds all too fanatic and chaotic but the secular press just claims the opposite. For them, all Haredim are the same fanatics and fundamentalists. However, if you deal with haredi society, you may be surprised how open minded many of them are. At least, if you get to know them a little better.

Already some months ago, the Toldot Aharon Rebbe David Kahn announced that the women should leave their Ezrat Nashim (women's side in the Synagogue) at least 15 minutes before the chassidic Tisch or the Synagogue service ends. Otherwise men and women would leave together and thus gather together outside.
Men are always considered to be an easy victim for the "Yetzer HaRah - evil side within ourselves". Concerning sexual issues, women are able to resist much easier whereas men just run and stop thinking. And those gatherings, even if they are not really intended, would cause the men's Yetzer to rise.

Here I am again, asking myself what our forefathers or King David would have said. On the one hand, I do admire such people who stick to the law no matter what. Especially those who are real Chassidim and set up much higher restrictions for themselves. This can only be done with lots of self - discipline and I still don't have too much of that. On the other hand, I look at certain rules with some sarcasm because it just seems to be so out of place.

The discussion about the "modesty buses" is still going on in Jerusalem. In Bnei Brak they already have a bus where men and women are divided by a curtain. Satmar is doing the same in their New York neighbourhoods.

The state - owned bus company EGGED refuses to set up more modesty buses in Jerusalem. There are some exceptions for entire haredi neighbourhoods but buses running through secular neigbourhoods and the city center are not due to be transformed into a "modesty bus" with separate seating. Every day, thousands of secular customers use the EGGED buses and no one can force them to take over haredi rules. And, as I said, there are a few exception for haredi neighbourhoods only where haredi men and woman keep the separate seating voluntarily. But if a secular Jew goes onto the no. 1 or 2 bus to the Kotel (Western Wall), onto no. 11 or 15 to Har Nof, he usually doesn't keep the inofficial rules.

EGGED can neither afford to loose its secular nor its religious customers. The local buses are for all parts of the population. The Haredim, however, found a better solution called "Superbus".
A private bus company goes to the haredi town of Beitar and soon also to Beit Shemesh. Additionally, EGGED keeps its "kosher" bus line no. 402 from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak running.
The "Superbus" has two obvious advantages. Haredim who have an anti - Zionist ideology are not forced to take a state - owned bus. "Forced" because there ins't always another solution available. And, furthermore, no one has to support a bus company which many times lets its buses run on Shabbat. Only in special areas but EGGED is not a Shomer Shabbat company. The Superbus, on the other hand, would also be cheaper than the regular bus.

But forget about the "kosher" buses now, as there is another modesty demand ahead. Rabbi Fuchs, the Chief Rabbi of the Ramot D (Daled) neighbourhood is planning to introduce a new Takana where men and women won't stand at the same till in the supermarket anymore. Instead there will be one till for men and one for women. Obviously Rabbi Fuchs sees his solution as the best in the struggle against the Yetzer. Ramot D as well as G (Gimmel) are entirely populated by Haredim. Ramot B (Beth) is for the national religious (Mizrachi) and Ramot A (Aleph) includes some secular as well.

As a woman I cannot tell you how much this is going on my nerves. Of course, there are those women who do like these kind of modesty ideas but I am anything but among them. As soon as I walk around in a haredi neighbourhood, I am simply limited in my life. I am limited when I go to chassidic Tishes or further events. Not every Tish is for women; I mean that sometimes the doors are closed, as I have experienced quite a few times in Dushinsky. A guy just forgets to unlock the door to the Ezrat Nashim and no one seems to be bothered. We females don't get any Shirayim (food handed out by the Rebbe) at the Tishes, in most cases we don't get cold drinks, we get nothing. And then we are being told to go home earlier. Back to the kitchen and cook food.

For the time being, the "modesty war" will go on and on. But where does this all end ?
Maybe in Iran ?